Tom Jones Timeline and Summary

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• Wealthy widower Squire Allworthy finds an unknown baby boy in his bed and decides to raise him.
• Squire Allworthy names the child "Thomas" after himself, and "Jones" after the baby's supposed mother, a servant girl named Jenny Jones.
• Squire Allworthy also convicts a local teacher, Partridge, of being Tom's out-of-wedlock father.
• Both Jenny Jones and Partridge disappear from Somerset after being named Tom's biological parents.
• So Tom grows up in Squire Allworthy's household, alongside Squire Allworthy's heir and legitimate nephew Mr. Blifil.
• As they are growing up together, Tom's beautiful neighbor Sophia Western falls hard for him.
• Tom knows their relationship is hopeless: Sophia's father will never let her wed a poor, low-born boy like Tom.
• Meanwhile, Mr. Blifil tells Squire Allworthy lies about Tom's bad habits and evil character.
• Mr. Blifil wants Tom out of the house so that he can have Squire Allworthy's money to himself.
• Convinced by Mr. Blifil's lies, Squire Allworthy throws Tom out onto the street.
• Tom leaves, miserable that he has lost his beloved father figure and his dear Sophia at the same time.
• Tom starts wandering around southern England.
• Tom happens to bump into his supposed father, Partridge. The two start traveling together.
• Tom also encounters a middle-aged woman named Mrs. Waters, who seduces him at an inn in Upton.
• Unfortunately, Sophia arrives at Upton while Tom is in bed with Mrs. Waters.
• So now, Tom has lost Sophia a second time.
• He decides to travel to London to find her and apologize.
• Tom and Partridge arrive in London with, essentially, no money.
• Tom eventually makes the acquaintance of Sophia's relative, Lady Bellaston.
• Lady Bellaston quickly seduces Tom, and begins giving him presents of money to support him while he is in London.
• Lady Bellaston eventually turns on Tom by deciding that, if she can't have Tom, no one can.
• She convinces Sophia's wealthy suitor, Lord Fellamar, to arrange for Tom to be kidnapped and sent into the navy.
• Tom gets into a duel with an Irishman named Mr. Fitzpatrick, which Tom ends up winning.
• Unluckily, the gang Lord Fellamar had hired to kidnap Tom witnesses this duel.
• They immediately carry Tom off to a local judge and accuse him of murder.
• Out of the blue, Mrs. Waters visits Tom in prison.
• It turns out that she has been staying with Mr. Fitzpatrick in London recently.
• Mrs. Waters swears that Mr. Fitzpatrick is fine, and that Tom is not guilty of murder.
• Partridge spots Mrs. Waters leaving the prison and tells Tom the bad news: before taking the name "Mrs. Waters," this woman was Jenny Jones.
• So, it turns out that Tom may have slept with his mother.
• Mrs. Waters realizes Partridge's mistake and explains the truth to Squire Allworthy and Partridge: in fact, Tom's true mother is Bridget, Squire Allworthy's late sister.
• Bridget paid Jenny Jones to place baby Tom in Squire Allworthy's bed and to keep secret the identity of Tom's biological parents.
• Squire Allworthy realizes that Mr. Blifil must have found out the truth of Tom's parentage. He has been working against Tom all of this time.
• Squire Allworthy names Tom his official heir and casts out Mr. Blifil.
• Tom apologizes to Sophia for his infidelities with Mrs. Waters and Lady Bellaston.
• Tom and Sophia marry in London before heading back to Somerset to live happily ever after.